Carla J. Nelson (born May 22, 1957) is an American politician from

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

who is a member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...

. A member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Minnesota and the oldest active political party in the state. Founded in 1855, the party is headquartered in Edina, Minnesota, E ...

, she represents District 24, which includes parts of Olmsted County and Dodge County in the southeastern part of the state. Much of the southern half of Rochester and parts of northwestern Rochester are in her district. In 2018, Nelson was an unsuccessful candidate in the Republican primary to represent

Minnesota's 1st congressional district Minnesota's 1st congressional district spans southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin. It is a primarily rural district built on a strong history of agriculture, though this is changing rapidly due to pop ...

Early life, education, and career

Nelson graduated from

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, receiving her B.S. in

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

. She then attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, earning her M.Ed. in teacher leadership and her reading specialist certification. Nelson is the owner of the Olmsted Group, an insurance and investment firm in Rochester. She was previously an elementary and middle school teacher in Rochester.

Minnesota Legislature

Nelson was first elected to the Senate in 2010 and was reelected in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2022. She served in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

from 2003 to 2005, and was a member of the House's Education Policy, Higher Education Finance, and Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs committees. Her special legislative concerns include health care, commerce, higher education, and taxes. Nelson was named an assistant minority leader in November 2012. Nelson was named a 2021 Legislator of Distinction by the Minnesota League of Cities, a nonpartisan association of local governments. She was one of only seven state senators to receive the recognition that year.

State boards

Nelson was an appointed member of the Minnesota Higher Education Finance Authority Board from 2005 to 2009, of the Capitol Area Architectural Planning Board (CAAPB) from 2005 to 2010, and of the Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation Board from 2008 to 2010.

Civic activities

Nelson has been a member of

Junior Achievement JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization. It was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential ...

, the University of Minnesota Citizens Advisory Council, and the Rochester Music Guild. She is a former board member of Next Chapter Ministries, a member of the board of directors of Friends of Mayowood, a member of the Rochester

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

and its Government Affairs and Government Forums Committee, and a former member of the Rochester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, where she was an Aspiring Conductor winner.

2018 U.S. House campaign

In October 2017, Nelson announced her candidacy for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

in the 2018 election. She lost the August 12 Republican primary to

Jim Hagedorn James Lee Hagedorn ( ; August 4, 1962 – February 17, 2022) was an American politician from Minnesota. A Republican, he was the U.S. representative for from 2019 until his death. The district stretches across southern Minnesota along the borde ...

. The 1st district seat became open after Democratic incumbent

Tim Walz Timothy James Walz (; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician who has served since 2019 as the 41st governor of Minnesota. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States, vice pre ...

announced he would not seek reelection to the seat and instead would run for Minnesota governor. Nelson failed to secure the Republican Party endorsement on April 21, 2018, when Jim Hagedorn earned 76% of the vote on the first ballot.

References

External links

Senator Carla Nelson
- official Minnesota Senate website
Project Vote Smart - Senator Carla Nelson ProfileSenator Carla Nelson
- official campaign website {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Carla 1957 births Living people People from Webster City, Iowa Drake University alumni University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development alumni Republican Party Minnesota state senators Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Politicians from Rochester, Minnesota Women state legislators in Minnesota 21st-century American women politicians Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature